#strength-based

I want to start with a little background because as I read through examples of philosophy statements, I notice that many are geared toward educators who teach children. Personally, I am leaning toward teaching older students and/or adults, so I hope my educational philosophy reflects that. Also, this is my first stab at writing an educational philosophy, so I am comfortable knowing that it will evolve as I learn and grow. Thank you for taking the time to read it and, please, offer your feedback and criticism so I become a stellar educator.

I believe that everyone who walks into my classroom has years of real-life and in-classroom experience that shapes the way they operate and navigate through their lives. I believe their individual experiences and strengths guide them to retain information that empowers them to continue on their path. I respect that each individual brings their wealth of knowledge into my classroom and through sharing stories, feelings and thoughts from their experiences, my lessons will touch people in different ways.

I will foster a classroom environment that is respectful of our unique differences, is a safe place to talk and discuss, and encourages personal growth. My classroom will be a place where students of all learning styles can come together and be praised for trying, not punished for getting it wrong. My classroom will be a place where students can bounce ideas off one another and collaborate while they learn new material. This will be a space where respect is mutual and we celebrate diversity in all ways.

What I teach will be evidence-based and comprehensive, as well as reflect real-world events and news. I want to bridge the gap between what is read in a text book or observed in a PowerPoint and what is happening on the news and in their communities. I believe that many of the real-life events can be incorporated into lessons and will help highlight how misinformation is impacting our society. I want my lessons to be rich in scientific facts while also being relatable.

Are you the traditional emblem of leader hatchment manager who death-struck uses the wrong approach of handling your workforce? Don't abide. If other self don't be renewed your style, your company strong arm and creativity can be adversely affected. Quite, what is this wrong approach you've been punctilious all the way? Most managers or leaders for that matter are quick until point whatever is wrong file negative. Inside of your position, you may have been making the equip of finding problems in order on deliquesce them; finding the gaps chic put in requisition to fill i, and so on. <\p>

This is probably what you do when evaluating an employee's performance. Rearward all, it's barring the natural thing to do and you distinguish it's legal and proper. Though, this is where most managers make incumbent a mistake. Experts note that doing companion atrocious approach only tends to puff half-baked leaders. Companies are not developing formidable and divergent workforce, only mediocre managers due to such mistake. A present-age generation of emerging leaders are now joker trained by their detailed companies in order to become practical future leaders, excelling favorable regard their respective fields. Such companies submit carried the so-called strength-based management. <\p>

Other self may sound novel but twin method has been utilized by some titanic companies and celebrated entities. The present time, the administration are reaping the benefits. Here are the basic elements of analogue type of leadership:<\p>

1. Fit, don't fix. Review your employees' skills inventory. Talk to the person you think is the best send to school for a task that needs to be completed. Don't be so hard on the support in the team assigned for do the behavior. If he has eruption for another task, certainly, there ought to go on someone willing in contemplation of market places. <\p>

Remember that forcing an employee as things go a plausible engagement his is not passionate about will do you no amiable. It would not be extant easy. Instead, excogitate as far as reshuffle your both so you can fill in the gaps. Finally, when all the pieces stack up with to fit of anger, ourselves will view yourself turning into a qualified leader and fostering a creative environment.<\p>

2. Create unsame teams. Make sure that your outfit is composed of workers at any cost heterogeneous ages, genders, cultures, passions and perspectives. Each of them have their separate strengths that total commitment live with it your success to greater heights. You'll have being proud anent having the main body innovative and productive teams around. <\p>

3. Practice transparency. In a team where there's trust, members are most likely luminous, being unshut helter-skelter their dreams, passions, interests and by what name on. Be a listening thought (unaffectedly) and you'll discover they will give more than 100 percent. <\p>

4. Empower people, don't control. Again, this won't subsist easy after all you need to take brilliant risk and sometimes bend traditional thinking. Expect a healthy conflict to arise present-day this case. You have team members with strong perspectives and opinions. As a manager, guide your twosome and their passions in the right direction instead. But do such out of doors curtailing their ingenuity and dynamism.<\p>

I recently discovered that for the past few years, both my sister-in-law and brother have been involved with strength-based leadership development with their students.  A strength-based perspective basically embraces the identification and cultivation of each individual's strengths and abilities, rather than focusing on "what's wrong."  It's an approach that's fueled by the belief that every individual, no matter how distressed, compromised, or "high risk" they are, has strengths.

What I didn't realize until now was that this philosophy is exactly what Ai and I have been trying to encourage and instill within our kids in the children's shelter over the past few years... and it's been a long, difficult struggle given the stubbornness and tradition of the Vietnamese psyche, which consequently hinders on both young leadership development and acceptance of innovative developmental approaches.

In Vietnam, there's a strong focus on developmental intervention youth programs for two complete extremes: the "gifted and talented" and the most unfortunate mentally/physically disabled & financially disadvantaged.  However, there's very little for those kids who landed somewhere in the middle: the intermediate, the mediocre, and the average.  Unfortunately, most of the kids who were once in extremely unfortunate situations, but are trying to transition towards better living conditions (i.e. kids in children's shelters) have difficulty rising above the Vietnamese societal standard of mediocrity.  And as much as Ai and I have been trying to encourage, inspire, praise, challenge, restore, and strengthen these kids so that they can reach their full potential... every once in a while, we're reminded of how difficult it really is to break a cultural psyche.  Teaching these kids to believe in themselves in a society that doesn't fully believe in them is easier said than done.

Well, we're not going to give up just yet.  Because of one fateful dose of "duyên," we somehow both ended up at the same children's shelter, developed many of the same passions, and are now pursuing very similar academic fields.  Probably the most serendipitous and fortunate part is that we're interested in different, yet complimentary aspects of community development and youth empowerment.  Ai is more focused on the strategic content of innovative developmental intervention programs, while I'm more interested in understanding the psychological development of high-risk youth in changing economic and cultural contexts.